Survey: Old Is Gold For Endorsements

If you want to sell a product, don’t kid around. That’s the clear message if you buy the results of a survey just released by global market research firm Ipsos. The hottest huckster: 89-year-old Betty White. She is America’s favorite and most trusted personality and would be most likely to drive business with an endorsement, according to the survey. She received the highest “favorability” rating among 100 well-known personalities, with 86% of those surveyed expressing a favorable opinion of her. Next on the list: Denzel Washington (85%) and Sandra Bullock (84%). Also in the top 10: Clint Eastwood (83%), Tom Hanks (81%), Harrison Ford (80%), Morgan Freeman (79%), Will Smith (77%), and Johnny Depp (76%). Most of the 100 personalities rated in the survey, which polled more than roughly 2000 adults, come from the world of entertainment, news and sports. Elected officials were deliberately excluded. Here is the complete list.